Dazzling dancers do battle

In the past fifteen years Ukraine has slowly emerged as something of a regional ballroom dancing power house. This should come as no surprise – the combination of sporting prowess and flamboyant elegance required to succeed in the ultra-competitive ballroom dance world are qualities which appear tailor-made for Ukraine. Few countries have quite so many ladies combining the necessary athleticism with a natural inclination towards sequins, high heels and extravagant make-up. The sheer glamour of the pastime in a period of grim economic realities, together with the allusions it offers to a more civilized age, have also helped boost the sport’s growth in popularity throughout Ukraine. Lviv in particular is a city made for waltzing and is home to some of the country’s most prestigious dance associations. January 2010 saw Lviv’s Palace of Romance play host to an annual gathering featuring many of Ukraine’s top dance duos competing in the annual Lviv Cup. Participants from Lviv, Ternopil, Kyiv and Dolyna took part, with places up for grabs in the forthcoming Ukrainian National Championship, which is scheduled to be held in late February in Kyiv. The Lviv Cup jury eventually awarded the top three pairing awards to Rostyslav Zadolynny and Yulia Pronik of Bronx dance club, Yeroslav Vysotskyi and Olga Sydoriv of Aelita club, and Taras Gedz and Yulya Mokrytska of Estet club.